Earthquakes

Front

What is a fault?

Back

a fracture in Earth where movement has occurred

Front

What is an earthquake’s epicenter?

Back

the place on the surface directly above the focus

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

Front

Most earthquakes are produced by the rapid release of which kind of energy stored in rock subjected to great forces?

Back

elastic

Front

A seismogram shows that P waves travel

Back

faster than S waves.

Front

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of S waves?

• They travel more slowly than P waves.
• They are also called longitudinal waves.
• They shake particles at right angles to their direction of travel.
• They cannot be transmitted through water or air.

Back

They are also called longitudinal waves.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

Front

A travel-time graph can be used to find the

Back

epicenter of an earthquake.

Front

Where do most earthquakes occur?

• in the mountains of Africa
• around the edge of the Pacific Ocean
• around the edge of the Atlantic Ocean
• on the western lowlands of Europe

Back

around the edge of the Pacific Ocean

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

Front

An earthquake’s magnitude is a measure of the

Back

size of seismic waves it produces.

Front

What measurement for earthquake do scientists use most often today? Options: seismic scale, Richter scale, moment magnitude scale, epicenter magnitude scale

Back

moment magnitude scale

Front

Factors used to calculate moment magnitude (EXCEPT for):

• surface area of a fault
• average displacement along a fault
• rigidity of rock in the area
• magnitude of past earthquakes in the area

Back

magnitude of past earthquakes in the area.